ARC-Review: LET IT RIDE by Vivian Arend

The previous Viv Arend book I read, didn’t quite work for me so it was with a bit of trepidation that I started this one. I’d been warned that this was a sad book and I needed to get the tissues ready. The warnings were accurate as from the first few pages a heavy feeling settled in my heart and tears were hovering inside my eyes, threatening to fall at the slighest thing. And they did fall, just not as much as I feared or expected and mostly they fell at the ending, being happy tears.

The more I read, the stronger this achy feeling in my heart got and I was completely immersed in Maggie’s grief and struggle to move one after her loss and Clay’s struggle to honor his friend and respect Maggie’s feelings and just be there for her as a friend despite his romantic feelings for her.

But it wasn’t all sadness and grief. I smiled several times at the dry wit both Maggie and Clay had and at the shenanigans of Troy (mainly) and Mitch. The dating service stuff made me laugh out loud. I loved how the family bond is strong and Thompsons and Colemans come together on both happy and sad occassions.

And I was also captivated by the sexiness of the story. It wasn’t dirty but there was sexual attraction especially from Clay in the beginning and it sparked with sensual tension. When Molly started contributing to the sexual attraction and it became mutual the sexiness just jumped off the pages.

I really, really loved the main couple of LET IT RIDE. Clay is so sweet and cute. Commanding, gruff Clay all aflutter because of Molly and her touching him.Maggie is so brave and resilient and has a great sense of humor. And together they were just perfect, surrounded by an equally perfect secondary cast.

Though the first half of this awesome book was sad, the second half was fun and sexy and romantic and it gave me a perfect happy end with happy tears and a few emotional sobs. This series is one of my alltime faves by Vivian Arend.

Favorite Scene:– the drive to the charity gala > It was super sexy and I felt so bad for Clay and his neccesity to keep his feelings hidden.

Favorite Quotes:Gage laughed and patted Clay on the back, bringing him into the center of the room. “You should be nicer to your big brother,” he scolded Katy. “He’s here especially to see you.”“Whatever it is he wants, no.”Clay winked at his friend as he teased his sister, his foul mood dissipating rapidly. “You’re breaking my heart.”“Awww. You need repair supplies? There’s a stapler on the desk, or Crazy Glue on the top shelf. Take your pick.”

He hesitated for a moment before giving her another of his breath-stealing hugs. Like usual, she felt cared for and guarded as he held her, and like usual, it seemed far too short a time before he set her free and headed out.